Town Administrator Karen Mahalick presented a list of projects that had lost financing at the Edgewood Town Council meeting Feb. 17.

The town lost $40,000 that could have been used to build a library. Mahalick said she had the request for proposals on her desk when she got the letter informing her that the funding was canceled. Another project that seems to have gotten the ax is the long-planned town animal shelter, which lost a legislative grant for $100,000. The land for the shelter, which was donated to the town, was already secured, Mahalick said.

"The Lions Club needs to have a pancake breakfast," she said, joking that the only way to get money would be through fundraisers.

To raise money, Animal Control officer Mike Ring offered to dress as a skunk and go out on the street with a bucket, she said.

About $56,000 for a public works facility on Section 16 was reauthorized, according to the spreadsheet Mahalick presented. She said the reauthorization of funds was surprising.

"There was some creative paperwork. Nothing that was illegal," she said.

Adding to what has already been a troublesome issue, the town lost most of a $200,000 grant for building a structure related to athletic fields on Section 16. Mahalick said there is just enough money in a separate $300,000 grant to finish building fields there, but that money has other expenses attached to it.

The town budgeted $120,000 to widen the road nearby to accommodate traffic to the fields and will still have to pay to bring water to the field.

The town is moving forward with a playground to be built on the property and is soliciting donations by asking people to buy bricks to pave the way to the park. The bricks, which run from $100 to $250 depending on their size, are engraved with the contributor's name.

At the council meeting, Edgewood Elementary student Emma Martin said she has been raising money for the park by selling cookies. She handed over $60 in cash to Town Clerk/Treasurer Estefanie Muller and dropped off a big bag of cookies for the town council.

Mahalick also informed the council that Walmart had hooked on to the town's wastewater treatment plant. Businesses near the collection line are not currently required to hook on, which seemed to be a point of contention among some residents. Chuck Ring, a candidate for town council, and Edgewood resident Sue West both questioned the decision.

However, the plant has a limited capacity, so the town would likely have to increase its capacity if it mandated businesses to hook their wastewater lines to the system. It's something Edgewood may not be prepared to do at this time, Mahalick said.

She also pointed out that for new businesses, it is probably cheaper to connect to the wastewater plant than to install a septic plant and drain field, which both use up valuable real estate as well.